Morton's Steakhouse

1895 S Harbor Blvd
Anaheim, CA 92802-3509
(714) 621-0101

Sometimes you know you are being a bit too excessive. You are bordering on being a bit too self indulgent. But during those times you must say to yourself, "I deserve it!" I knew that by going to Morton's Steakhouse, that I was going to blow my vacation budget. I knew that the bill was going to be astronomically high. But it was a chance I was not going to pass up.

The restaurant was literally only a block away from our hotel on South Harbor Blvd in Anaheim. There was another steak house closer called Chris Ruth's Steakhouse, but we made the extra effort in going to Morton's. Although we were not dressed for the occasion, the hostess did not mind. All she requested was that I remove my cap in the main dinning room, to which I was happy to oblige. Inside, you'll find a very old time rustic decor that screams out that they take their food very seriously. Most of the patrons were smartly dressed which made us feel a bit under dressed. The main dinning room was pack, and plenty of servers with their hustle and flow provided a great ambiance.

The servers provide a show before they take your order, which included the different cuts of steak. They tell you specifics, like how long they aged their meats, what sauces are with what dish, and any dessert that require pre-ordering due to the cooking time. All the servers were very knowledgeable and we found them to quite friendly. After the presentation, we decided to start with a lobster bisque, a Jumbo Shrimp Alexander for my wife, chicago style bone in rib eye for myself. We also pre-order the Raspberry Souffle so that we could end our meal with even more decadency. The sides were extra, but we ordered some hash browns and steamed vegetables, because eating nothing but meat would have been a bit too self indulgent.

The bread that most restaurant starts out with is usually pretty forgettable, but not Morton's. The bring out a onion round loaf. If you never had one, it's like eating a big onion bun that you find in bakery stores. The crust is crisp and the inside tender. With the accompanied soft butter, I could have just eaten that by itself for the the whole meal.

Our soup came out first, it was the very rich lobster bisque. My wife thought it was way too rich, but I suspect that she does not understand what a bisque is. I tasted it, and it was fine to me. The rich buttery silky smooth soup with the lobster flavor as the background. I think my wife expected more of a lobster chowder.

The shrimp for my wife's Jumbo Shrimp Alexander were truly huge. Usually when people claim jumbo they really just mean large. Most shrimp are not big enough to be consider an entree by themselves, but the ones we got were. They were coated with some seasoned bread crumbs and served with a white creamy sauce on the bottom. The shrimp tasted fresh and was seasoned nicely. I'm not a big shrimp fan, often I find them very boring, but these shrimp definitely woke me up a bit. The picture do not really convey the how big these shrimps were.

The star of the night was definitely my rib eye. I often choose rib eye due to the fact that the cut has great marbling. Morton is more known for their porterhouse cut, but there was no way my wife and I could've finish a steak that size. Now when Morton's ask you how you want your steak done, you better know for sure. When they tell you that they can prepare exactly the way you want it, they mean it. If you say medium well, with a slick just a hint of pink throughout, that's exactly the steak you'll get. I requested medium rare, and it was exactly the way I want it. My steak had a good charred crispy steak and the more center you cut the more rare it got. The outside was seasoned perfectly. The meat was aged which means they let it sit, usually for time time in a dry cool cellar. This allows the meat to become way more flavorful and way more tender. The side order of hash browns unfortunately was a bit too crispy and over done. The server noted it and took it off our bill.

We ended our meal with the raspberry souffle. It was presented as usually with the top overflowing it's container, but quickly deflated as it was cut into. The raspberry flavor was very mild and nice. The souffle was nice and smooth and not too eggy. There was no sauce served with it, but they did scope a rich heavy cream next to it. It was a nice contrast of the light souffle and heaviest of the cream. My wife, who is not a souffle fan, even said it tasted pretty good.

Our servers were excellent. We did not have to request for refills of our water. They even bought out a live lobster to show and entertain our small child. Everything was handle quickly and professionally. Plus the fact they were are very knowledgeable was a bonus.

Final thoughts: Well worth the price of admission.

Food: 4 1/2 stars

Service: 4 1/2 stars

Price: Very high to Astronomical

Overall 4 1/2 stars